Chapter 120: Good Girls Swallow
I coughed, tapping my chest. In my haste to swallow and breathe, it felt as though some bits of food had gone down the wrong pipe. I glared at Cassian with tears in my eyes.
"I didn’t ask you to!" I spat in between coughs. "I’ve already said that I’ve eaten. There’s no need to feed me more."
Cassian leaned close to me, trapping me between his broad chest and the backrest. His hands clasped the backrest right next to my ears as he leaned in close.
"Haven’t you heard?" Cassian said, wearing a mocking smirk. "Good girls swallow, not spit. Maybe you ought to learn a thing or two."
I gritted my teeth in annoyance. Right before I could spit in his face and show him what spitting really meant, Rowan pulled Cassian back by the shoulder.
"I thought you said you had things to do and places to be?" he asked.
Cassian scoffed, shrugging Rowan’s hand off his shoulder before storming to the door.
"If you need anything else, don’t call me," Cassian threw those words over his shoulder before leaving the room, slamming the door shut once more behind him.
The sound of his footsteps echoed down the hallway as he left. Rowan and I held our breaths until we were sure that he was completely gone.
Finally, Rowan exhaled, shaking his head. He looked at me, his expression complicated. Was it due to relief that I had finally eaten the poisoned food? Or was he also at his wits’ end with his brother’s behavior?
"Finish the rest of the chicken," Rowan instructed. "I will be back in a moment."
With that said, he turned and left the room.
I let out a breath of relief. The mouthful that Cassian had shoved down my throat had arrived at my stomach, which was none too pleased at having visitors after purging them once. Again, I felt that familiar churn of nausea in my gut and a crippling abdominal pain. Instinctively, my body curled up, and I forced myself to take deep breaths to withstand the pain.
I didn’t want Rowan returning so soon. Even if I was in pain, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me brought down like this. I gritted my teeth, willing myself to endure.
I had suffered worse. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I scrubbed them away. The roast chicken continued to sit innocently on a platter, taunting me with its existence. I felt anger curl up within me.
Since Rowan was clearly not going to take no for an answer, I might as well choke down this meal like it was my last. When he arrived, I would projectile vomit all over him and teach him a lesson he’d never forget.
Maybe he’d be so mad, he’d just decide to punish me the old-fashioned way. Just as I reached out to tear apart a drumstick, there was a faint knock at the door.
I paused. Rowan certainly would not have knocked. I put down the drumstick and walked to the door.
"Who is it?" I asked, wondering if it was one of the previous omega girls coming back with more food.
"Brair, it’s me, Jessie!"
Jessie? So she had finally decided to show up after all. Remembering my earlier suspicions of her, I pasted a smile on my face and quickly opened the door. Jessie’s mouth fell open when she caught sight of my face.
"Oh, dear... Briar, what happened to you?" she murmured sympathetically. "It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already gotten so... so..."
She winced, struggling to find the right word.
My lips twisted into a sarcastic sneer. "Pasty?"
Jessie nodded slowly. "Ghostly," she said. "What happened?"
"Life happened," I shrugged with a wry smile. I stepped aside and invited her in. "Make yourself at home."
"...Briar... This is your new room?" she asked in shock, gawking at the opulence that surrounded her. "The Alphas... let you stay here?"
"For now," I said simply, watching her carefully. I saw how her eyes roved around the room, focusing on the food trays and the huge bed in the room.
She took everything in, awe in her eyes. But more than that, she seemed to be mentally taking notes.
"So," I said, "how did you know I was here?"
"I asked some of the other girls from the kitchen, and they told me you were here," Jessie said, a voice in a hushed whisper. "I’m so sorry that it took me so long to visit you― I simply couldn’t get away!"
"It’s alright, I understand," I said, patting her shoulder. "You must be exhausted. Come join me for some food."
"I... are you sure I can?" Jessie asked hesitantly, but I steered her to sit down.
"Why not?" I smiled. "The Alphas brought too much food for one person to eat."
Jessie quickly shook her head, a frightened expression on her face. "I can’t... You might get into trouble with the Alphas if they found out you’re letting me eat your food. They purposely gave orders to the kitchen to make this for you."
Well, that certainly confirms the poisoning theory. They only wanted to inflict this torture on one person alone― me.
"The Alphas must really like you, Briar, since they let you eat so much and gave you this room," Jessie said with a wistful sigh. "I almost didn’t believe the girls when they said you were in this room― this is a room meant for Alpha family members only! When Violet finds out, she’s going to lose it!"
Her lips curdled into a mocking smile. Whether she was working for Violet or not, I could tell that she seemed genuinely amused by this.
"Especially considering how her room is just down the corridor," Jessie said, chuckling under her breath. "With her better-than-thou attitude, she must be absolutely fuming right now."
"Wouldn’t you love to see the look on her face," I commented wryly.
"Duh, of course!" Jessie gripped my hands tightly. "You have to tell me what happened! How did you go from their prisoner to living here? Are they planning on keeping you as a second mate? Do you think that means that they’ll finally get rid of Violet once and for all?"
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